


Safety

by 401



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Affection, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, F/M, Nightmares, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:57:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/401/pseuds/401
Summary: I don't know what to say. Just some Bucky x Reader fluff.





	Safety

It took you a while to realise that the knocking was not in your head, some residual manifestation of the dream that you had been so enveloped by only moments before. You stretched your tired muscles and rolled lazily onto your side, your hair sticking to your mouth and obscuring your eyes so that the darkness of your room was thickened further.

“Y/n.”

The voice startled you, waking you fully. A mission? It was not unheard of for SHIELD to wake you up at ungodly hours to be called out, but it did not usually happen so soon after your last call. You groaned. Fury could at least give you 12 hours to decompress.

“Are you serious?” You mumbled, “I was on this morning. Can’t they get Natasha?”

The voice that woke you stayed silent, forcing you to sit up and face its owner. You did not bother hiding the annoyance on your face.

“Bucky,” You croaked, rubbing your eyes, “What is it?”

Your expression softened when you saw the soldier. There was something wrong, even if you could not place it in your sleep-hazed state. In the light flooding in from the hallway, you could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead, the way his hair had been tugged out of its neat bun by hours of tossing and turning, the uncharacteristic redness of his eyes and cheeks. There was something very raw about it, all exposed nerves and exhaustion. You felt instantly guilty for being so coarse.

“Tell me,” You said quietly, “What happened?”

Bucky shook his head, his mouth faltering around his words. His chest was rising and falling much too quickly and the flush that covered his cheeks had spread down his neck to his bare chest.

“Come here,” You sighed, patting the space next to you.

He stepped into the room obediently and sat down on the edge of the mattress, huddling his arms around his middle and shuddering as the sweat on his skin started to cool.

“I can’t sleep,” He near whispered, “I’m…”

His words again faltered and he frowned, like some great effort was gnawing on him from the inside. You put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. He relaxed a little under the touch and let go of the breath that he had been holding.

“Nightmares?” You asked, shuffling closer.

Bucky nodded. The movement dislodged tears that had been welling up and he batted them away hastily.

“Oh, sweetheart,” You whispered, “Come here.”  


Again, he just nodded, a small defeated gesture as he eased himself down next to you. You pulled him close against your chest, closing your eyes as you buried your nose into his hair. He smelled of laundry, sweat and sleep, and there was something oddly comforting about the juxtaposition of different scents.

“Nights are hard,” He finally muttered, “Everything gets quiet, so my head gets louder.”  


The accuracy made tears spike to your own eyes. Your time at Hydra, although not as lengthy, had been harrowing and traumatic. You knew these nights. The ones where the images of torture and guilt flashed through your head with no relent, where the urge to give in to that animal part of your brain begging you to escape got too strong. You knew this, and it hurt to think that is was what Bucky was feeling.

“You know,” You whispered, carding a hand through his hair, “I could use a little company tonight. You should stay.”

Bucky smiled weakly, pulling closer into your embrace and tucking his head under your chin. The pitch black of the room did nothing but heighten your senses. His eyelashes against your chest, the thud of his heartbeat against your own, the way his hands gripped you like you were the last thing in the world he had to hold. Everything was thrown into stark detail in that quiet, dark room. Avengers HQ seemed to fall away like ink in water around you, until you were the only people in New York. In the whole world.

Safety was not something you were used to feeling, but you knew this was it, in its purest, most unadulterated form.

“Night, y/n,” Bucky mumbled sleepily, his lips barely forming the words in the tight space between you.

You smiled to yourself. Because it would be a good night, in spite of everything.

One of the best yet.

 


End file.
